As part of my messaging engine I''m passing a hunk of ram to a function. The first byte is the message id. In many cases this consists of a single byte for example the command to ''load config file''. It''s pretty inefficient in places using a pointer to point at a single byte but required for consistancy.

    
byte *ConfigLoaderMessageString = new byte[1];
*ConfigLoaderMessageString[0] = (byte)MESSAGE_CONFIGLOADER;
    

As you can see I''m trying to malloc out a single byte then set byte zero to the value of the message id. (byte is a typedef for unsigned char, MESSAGE_CONFIGLOADER is a member of an enum that will provide the messageID) This code obviously doesnt work but it LOOK''s like it should. Any thoughts? Here are the errors: Gimp c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(17) : error C2466: cannot allocate an array of constant size 0 c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(17) : error C2501: ''ConfigLoaderMessageString'' : missing storage-class or type specifiers c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(17) : error C2372: ''ConfigLoaderMessageString'' : redefinition; different types of indirection c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(16) : see declaration of ''ConfigLoaderMessageString'' c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(17) : error C2440: ''initializing'' : cannot convert from ''unsigned char'' to ''int *[]'' There are no conversions to array types, although there are conversions to references or pointers to arrays

Why not do:

    byte *ConfigLoaderMessageString = new byte;*ConfigLoaderMessageString = (byte)MESSAGE_CONFIGLOADER;    

If your making an array, shouldn''t it be a pointer to pointer of byte? Or maybe you want "= new byte;" ?

"If you have any questions you may direct
them to that brick wall over there." - South Park

Thanks but even :

    byte *ConfigLoaderMessageString = new byte;*ConfigLoaderMessageString = (byte)MESSAGE_CONFIGLOADER;    

Gives the following error:

c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(18) : error C2501: ''ConfigLoaderMessageString'' : missing storage-class or type specifiers
c:\program files\microsoft visual studio\vc98\myprojects\orchid\common\commands\configloader.h(18) : error C2040: ''ConfigLoaderMessageString'' : ''int'' differs in levels of indirection from ''unsigned char *''


I feel like an idiot have trouble with a pointer to a single byte.... how basic is that?

it compile fine on ms vc6++ when i replace "byte" with "BYTE".

( and #define MESSAGE_CONFIGLOADER 1 )

Like Claus Hansen Ries said - you need a type definition of "byte" first...

    typedef unsigned char byte;    

Hrrmm... I just copyied it to an empty project and ran it without problems....

This is in a header BTW, it that baaad?